Kelsey Timmerman's Blog, page 85

It was me!

Who would have thought with all of the html swapping and copying and transferring and whatever else computer-types do to move a not-so pretty blog to a shiny one THAT the whole “my blog is down thing” was all me.

My bad.

Thanks Bootsnall for fixin’ my mistake.

Shiny new blog still being shined and we’re working out the details of the giveaway.

Tinkering

I’m tinkering with my Flickr sets and slideshows.  Here’s a new set I just created made up of pix from my WAIW trip.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

WWII and the path to Saipan Sweatshops: A vet wonders, “We fought for this.”

In the Gary Post Tribune, John Wolf, a WWII vet and minister who served in Saipan wonders if the the bloody beaches were worth it.

Wolf on the sacrifice:

My ship was a part of a large amphibious task force. We carried the 2nd Marine Division and landed them on June 15.

As was our task in previous island invasions, we took on casualties from the beach — nearly 200 in a short time. Some I recognized as the same Marines I had served the sacraments to the night before.

Wolf on what became of Saipan:

Sai

Invisible bonds

I almost joined the Navy ROTC in college.  I thought it would be a good way to have some adventures and see the world.  I’m not sure why I didn’t.  I think it had something to do with Jimmy Buffett and this dude that you’ve probably never heard of who had a show on the Travel Channel.

At some point I decided that I could make my own adventures and probably not get shot at.

I graduated in the spring of 2001 and, if I had enlisted in the ROTC, I would have began my two years of mandatory service imm

Random dad thoughts

1) Swaddle = Enhanced Sleep Aid.

Sure, at a certain point it is probably illegal, but what’s so illegal about mom, dad, and baby getting a full night of sleep?  Does anyone know when the illegal point is?  Harper is busting out of her — velcro enhanced — swaddle already and starting to not sleep all night.

2) When your kid cries and you are the cause of the tears it really doesn “hurts me more than it hurts you.”

I always thought my parents were making that crap up. Last night I plopped down in my

When was the last time you listened to a good book

Everything I write I read aloud. I would hate to think how many hours or times I read WAIW? aloud to myself and sometimes to Annie.

I read aloud as a I write. I real aloud at day’s end to review what I’ve written. I read aloud entire sections and chapters. Once the book was done, I read it aloud several times through. Each time I would make changes. In fact, I’m still making changes. My copy of WAIW? has sentences scratched out and words added.

Because I love things that validate my behavi

Dude, you could win an iPod Video Nano

A few days ago I asked if anyone had any good ideas for a give-away for the relaunch of the blog (which is going to be awesome by the way). Larry Olson at Wiley, my publisher, suggested he would pitch in an iPod video Nano. How cool is that?

I’m a bit jealous. I’m not sure how the giveaway will be decided, but I doubt you’d all let me get by with being the winner. Darn.

This could be your hand…

We are all the class of 2009

“Now, you, Class of 2009, are about to enter the next phase of your life at a time of great uncertainty. You’ll be called to help restore a free market that’s also fair to all who are willing to work.”

-

President Obama to Notre Dame’s class of ’09

(the whole speech is here)

A thousand words…

Welcome to the world Cale Taylor (my nephew)!

A little help here

A very spiffy new version of this blog is only a few weeks a way and I need some help with a number of things:

1) Blog categories – As you can tell from the category list on the right, this blog is a mess. Half of those categories I created and never posted to again. So, the good folk at Rule29 who are designing the pending spiffiness are laying down the law. I only get five categories. Any thought on what they should be? I’ll toss out a few: Travel, Engaged Consumer, This Writer’s Life….?

2)